Wetting device for paper handling machines



Jan. 11, 1955 H. R. LYONS WETTING DEVICE FOR PAPER HANDLING MACHINES Filed Dec. 30, 1952 R m N E V m 50 fierbe'r/ Z l V0615 Logks ATTORNEY United States Patent i/VETTENG DEVICE FOR PAPER HANDLING MACHINES Herbert R. Lyons, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The Diamond Match Compmy, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 30, 1952, Serial No. 328,669

6 Qlaims. (Cl. 118-267) The present invention relates to a wetting device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device in which the surface of a plate is constantly provided with a liquid.

The use of a wetting device as mentioned hereinafter is disclosed in copending application Serial No. 284,269 filed April 25, 1952. The above-mentioned copending application describes therein apparatus which is adapted to form paper sticks or the like for use with confections. In the operation which forms the paper stick, a paper sheet is curled and compacted by a compacting drum to form a rigid paper stick element. During the compacting operation, it is desirable to wet the loose end of the curling sheet which is then securely bonded to the body of the stick. The present invention is adapted to be utilized for supplying the necessary liquid to the loose ends of the paper stick. However, it is understood that the present invention is not restricted to a wetting device for paper sticks, but may be utilized whenever or wherever it is desirable to maintain a wet surface.

Prior to the instant invention, the heretofore known means for wetting the loose ends of curling paper sheets have generally consisted of a pan or chamber of water. The customary practice in carrying out this heretofore known wetting operation was to provide a rotary belt or the like which picked up the Water from the pan or chamber and supplied it to the sticks which passed thereover. Such means, however, were inefficient, costly and often required great care and attention and frequent adjustment.

It is one of the objects of the instant invention to provide a device wherein a supply of liquid is constantly provided to the surface of a plate, thereby wetting the paper sticks passing thereover.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device which includes a porous metal plate that is adapted to receive liquid for passage therethrough to the surface thereof.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device which includes a porous metal plate and means for constantly directing a supply of liquid from a liquid supply chamber through the porous metal plate to the surface thereof.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the instant invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a partial plan view of the wetting device embodied in the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with parts shown in elevation; and

Fig. 3 is a view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly Fig. 3, the present invention is shown comprising a metal casting generally indicated at 10. The metal casting is fabricated preferably from brass and includes a body portion 12 having curved upper surfaces, the purpose of which will hereinafter be described. Formed in the casting 10, beneath the body portion 12, is a liquid supply chamber 14 which is defined by the integrally formed lower sections consisting of front section 16, rear section 18 and a pair of side walls. Located in the liquid supply chamber 14 is an opening 24 which serves as the l1qu1d 1nlet to the wetting device 10. As seen in Flg. 3, a plate 26 is secured to the front and rear sectlons 16 and 18 by a plurality of suitable bolts 28 and forms thereby the bottom portion of the liquid supply chamber 14. A

.is a rectangularly disposed recess 40 which communicates with the chamber 14 through a series of passages 42. The passages 42 extend vertically from the topmost portion of the chamber 14 to the bottom-most portion of recess 40 and are adapted to transfer liquid from the chamber 14 therethrough. Disposed over the passages 42 and positioned in the recess 40 is a metal plate 44 having a fiat lower surface fitting snugly in the bottom of the recess 40 and a curved upper surface, the purpose of which will hereinafter be described. The metal plate 44 has formed therein a series of passages 46 of approximately the same diameter as passages 42 and, as shown in Fig. 3, each of the passages 46 is aligned with a corresponding passage 42 when the plate 44 is in position in the recess 40. The passages 46 project vertically upward through the plate 44 terminating in grooves 48. The grooves 48, as seen in Fig. 1, extend angularly across the metal plate 44 along the surface thereof and are closed at their ends by the end walls of the body portion 12.

Referring again to Fig. 3, a porous metal filter plate 50 is shown disposed in the recess 40 on top of the metal plate 44 and flush with the curved surface of the body portion 12. The plate 50 is formed by mixing a binder with a powdered metal preferably consisting of spherical bronze particles. It is within the scope of the invention to form the filter plate out of material other than metal, for example, stone or ceramic. The spherical particles and binder of the desired material are sintered and produced in plate form which consists of non-compacted spherical particles with tiny voids formed therein. The tiny voids are adapted to allow liquid to filter therethrough which, by capillary action, is sucked up to the surface of the plate.

The porous plate 50 has a series of countersunk holes 52 extending through the longitudinal center thereof which are adapted to receive suitable screws, an example of which is illustrated at 54. Each of the screws 54 extends through an appropriate hole 52 formed in the porous plate 50 and the metal plate 44 and is threadedly engaged in the body portion 12. The screws 54, when sufficiently tightened, pull the porous metal plate 50 into close contact with the plate 44. Since the upper surface of the plate 44 is curved, the porous plate is forced to conform to that curvature. The upper surface of the body 12 is formed with a curvature which is the same as the upper surface of the plate 44. Thus, when the porous plate 50 is pulled into contact with the plate 44 by the screws 54, it will conform to the curvature of the upper surface of the body portion 12. The screws 54 can be eliminated from the construction just described by forming the porous metal plate 50 with curved upper and lower surfaces. It is also contemplated to form the porous metal plate 50 with a curved upper surface and a flat lower surface, thereby eliminating the necessity of the metal plate 44.

In operation, the liquid from the chamber 14 is forced upwardly through the passages 42, into the passages 46, and then into the angularly extending grooves 48. The grooves 48 tend to evenly distribute the liquid over the upper surface of the plate 44 and thereby promote even distribution of the liquid through the porous plate. The rate of flow of water to the plate 44 is controlled by adjusting the water level in the chamber 14. The water level in the chamber 14 is easily regulated by suitably controlling the flow of the water through the opening 24. The flow of liquid through the porous plate is aided by capillary action in the plate and emerges on the upper surface thereof for contact with the subject to be wetted. If the wetting plate is employed with a paper stick forming machine, the flow of liquid to the porous plate 50 will be further aided by suction created by the compacting drum moving over the upper surface of the porous plate 50. It is apparent that paper sticks rolling over the surface of the porous platewill be wetted, thereby wetting the loose end of the stick which can then be bonded to the stick body by appropriate means.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that the Wetting device described herein presents a simple and practical method for maintaining the surface of a plate in a wet condition. There are no moving parts and the flow of liquid to the supply chamber can be conveniently controlled. The device is not only easy to fabricate but requires relatively little maintenance or attention.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and, therefore, the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A wetting device comprising a body portion having a liquid chamber formed in the lower portion thereof and a recess formed in the upper portion thereof, said liquid chamber and recess connected by a plurality of vertically extending passages formed in said body portion, a metal plate having a fiat lower surface and a curved upper surface disposed in said recess, a plurality of passages formed in said metal plate, each of which communicates with a passage in said body portion, said second-named passages terminating at the upper surface of said metal plate in a plurality of grooves angularly extending across the surface of said metal plate, and a porous plate disposed in said recess secured to said metal plate and adapted to conform to the curvature of the upper surface thereof, the liquid from said chamber passing through said passages and grooves to said porous plate where it is filtered to the surface thereof.

2. A wetting device comprising a body portion having a water chamber formed in the lower portion thereof and a recess formed in the upper portion thereof, said Water chamber and recess connected by a plurality of vertically extending passages formed in said body portion, a metal plate having a fiat lower surface and curved upper surface disposed in said recess, and a porous plate for filtering liquid to the surface thereof disposed in said recess, and means for securing said porous plate to said metal plate, said securing means extending through said metal plate into engagement with said body portion, said porous plate thereby being adapted to conform to the curvature of said metal plate upper surface.

3. A wetting device comprising a body portion having a liquid chamber formed in the lower portion thereof and a recess formed in the upper portion thereof, said chamber and recess connected by a plurality of vertical- 1y extending passages formed in said body portion, a metal plate disposed in said recess having passages formed therein, each of said second-named passages communicating with a passage in said body portion, a porous plate disposed in said recess, the liquid from said chamber passing through said porous plate to the surface thereof, and means for securing said porous plate to said metal plate, said securing means engaging said body portion.

4. A wetting device comprising a body portion having liquid supply means formed in the lower portion thereof communicating with a recess formed in the upper portion thereof, plate means disposed in said recess having a curved upper surface, and porous means disposed in said recess, and means for securing said porous means to said plate means thereby causing said porous means to assume the curved configuration of said upper surface, said porous means adapted to transfer liquid therethrough to the surface thereof.

5. A wetting device comprising a body portion having a liquid supply chamber and a recess formed therein, a lower plate disposed in said recess having a curved upper surface, said lower plate communicating with said supply means through a plurality of passages formed in said body portion, a plurality of angularly extending grooves formed in said lower plate and receiving liquid from said passage, and a porous plate disposed in said recess secured to said lower plate and conforming to the curved configuration of the upper surface of said plate, said porous plate disposed over said angularly extending grooves and adapted to transfer liquid received from said supply chamber to the surface thereof.

6. A wetting device comprising a body portion having a liquid supply chamber and a recess formed therein, a plate disposed in said recess communicating with said supply means through a plurality of passages, said plate formed of a porous metal material and adapted to transfer liquid received from said supply chamber to the surface thereof, and means for securing said plate in said recess, said securing means engaging said body portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 872,754 Ruth Dec. 3, 1907 1,241,322 Woody Sept. 25, 1917 2,005,132 De Luce June 18, 1935 2,319,615 Luehrs May 13, 1943 2,565,370 Hodin Aug. 21, 1951 2,620,730 Gilbert Dec. 9, 1952 

